Wheat seems to be everywhere, but very little heritage wheat or other locally-produced grains have made it into re-localized food systems. Compared to the astounding successes in the recovery of heirloom vegetables and fruits as well as heritage livestock and poultry, the production and acceptance of heritage grains have lagged far behind.

Kirikou is a young boy, bursting with curiosity. When something bad happens in his village, the elders blame the evil witch Karaba. But Kirikou looks around, tries to understand, and in the end manages to solve the problems himself. Kirikou is a character in an animated film, but his adventures are not actually so far from reality.

A decade ago “heirloom” triggered images of your grandfather’s pocket watch or the delicate veil your great-grandmother wore at her wedding. Talk about “heirloom” nowadays and images of luscious tomatoes in the colors of the rainbow appear before your eyes.

Biodiversity is an environmental necessity. The vast, distinct combinations of DNA needed to create the foods we eat and the world we live in are a resource that needs protecting. Without this resource we risk famine and disease. Without it, we lose the resiliency to adapt to our changing world. This dire reality is a good reason for Slow Food to embrace the need to support biodiversity through projects like the Ark of Taste and Presidia. Still, there may be an even better one: wonder.